I love to make crafted treats and favors. I love combining scraps of paper with a little sweet or gift to brighten someones day.

I also love non candy treats too. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth myself but I am a big fan of lip balms and hand creams (I keep one in every coat pocket, in my car on my desk and next to each sink) probably because I need to constantly combat the dry Maine winter LOL! So of course I love to gift lip balms and stuff like that too. I think they are wonderful gifts year round from stocking suffers, to classroom valentines, Easter Basket fillers and bridesmaid favors. Just change up the paper and you have a treat for many occasions!

One year at a craft fair I made little paper purses with lip balms inside and I sold out in the first 10 minutes and got a special order for 20 more! I am going to make sure to have some of these on hand for my next craft fair! They are so lovely and quick to make! Do you want the instructions for these sweet treats and the whimsical interactive swing card? Well, watch the video and see how to make them!

This tutorial is sponsored by My Favorite Things where you will find the most creative selection of stamps, dies and accessories for your next card making or craft project. Save 15% on your next order at My Favorite Things with Code: FRUGALMFT from March 19-23 *not valid on gift cards or products in the “New” category

I think these projects are perfect for the first day of s! The store have all of their seasonal pastel candy on display there is something so beautiful about the sparkly foil wrappers and translucent jelly beans that make me smile. I just love the colors of spring and the signal that the long cold winter is finally coming to an end. Maybe it’s a temperate climate thing. I hope you apply some of these ideas to your next stamping project and as always happy crafting!

Hi friends! I am not sure if this post will be more useful to my regular readers or new friends looking for gift ideas for the artist in their life. It can be super tricky to buy for someone with a hobby (especially if you don’t know what they have) but there are some things that artists and crafters will find useful no matter what is in their current stash!

In today’s video I will give you options both practical and fun that will delight the creative person in your life! BTW I created this video for HGMM so if you need any home and garden inspiration check them out!

There are so many wonderful creative gifts you can give. Best of all you are giving someone the gift of self expression and the feeling of satisfaction in competing a new project of learning a new skill. Speaking of learning a new skill you can always give the gift of a class and with online classes they can take them whenever they want in the comfort of their own home with no worries of missing a class is they are not feeling well or the weather is bad. Online craft classes are available for any art or craft genre from painting in any medium, quilting, photography, cake decorating, papercrafting, jewelry making and even wood-working. Learning a new skill is a gift you will treasure always. If you need some ideas Craftsy has they top 200 classes on sale for $20 or less this weekend, see what they have to offer! Any class you buy helps support the free content on my blog and YouTube channel and I thank you for your support!

I am sure you will find the perfect gift for your crafty friends! Good luck and happy crafting!

Hi friends! A couple of months ago I shared a faux mosaic gift box tutorial and I asked you if you wanted to see how I made the cards that went with it. Well, I just got around to editing that video!

Actually, I wanted to save it because I thought it would come in a bit more handy when you were getting ready to start making handmade holiday gifts. I like this as a gift because it is beautiful and useful and it might even inspire someone to take up a new hobby: cardmaking! Feel free to change-up the look by using the stamps and ink color you prefer!

DIY Stamp positioner: My friend Jody made me a stamp positioner tool that is perfect for layering up stamps. Here is what you will need to make it:
slim jewel dvd case (hub-less or with the hub removed)
craft foam
clear grid by little B (if you want it to be sticky and hold your paper in place or you can use grid paper)

Directions for DIY hinged stamp positioner:
1. Cut fun foam to fit jewel case.
2. Adhere grid to foam.
3. Stamp! You may not need the foam if using cling rubber stamps because they are thicker, you will need the foam for clear stamps though. Add more foam if needed!
All the supplies used in the stamp positioner can be found here.

Hi friends! I heard recently that the best thing you can give someone is time. What better way to make Father’s Day more special than giving dad back some time by doing one of his chores. This is a thoughtful gift for a child to make and they will also learn to appreciate all the things dad does for them after tackling one of his chores (and what kids doesn’t like to wash a car?)

I also like that the tags can be used as bookmarks too. You could even give a book to go along with it, there is some good “dad humor” in Jim Gaffigan’s book Food-A Love Story but if you have any other suggestions leave them in the comments. My hubby was laughing out loud at Food so I read it too and it was super funny and clean so no worries if your kids pick it up:)

Watch the video to see how easy and affordable these IOU chore coupons are to make using supplies from Papermart!

4. Write what the “coupon” tag is good for (such as a car wash, raking the yard, sweeping the driveway etc.) on the ticket and package in a kraft jewelry box that you can decorate with paper and tie with string.

Think of other ways YOU can adapt this idea to your needs, maybe make a set of bookmarks to give someone with a gift card to a local bookstore or a booklet of “free babysitting” coupons for a friend or sister. What you are giving someone is time to do something they enjoy and time, like all the best things in life, is free and priceless. Thanks so much for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Hello Friends! It is not a shocker, we always need more birthday cards right? Well, did you ever think of making a set of birthday cards with matching envelopes to give as a gift? They are wonderful presents for non crafty friends. Here is a set of cards I made using adorable Penny Black stamps and supplies from Papermart:

I also came up with a couple cute ways to package them. Using clear bags is a great idea if you sell cards at craft fairs because it keeps the cards visible and clean. The paper portfolio is a great idea for gifting because the cards and be easily accessed and stored right there, plus it can be used to organize other cards after the original set is used up…just a warning, if you give cards this cute you will be asked to make more! Watch the tutorial to see how easy it is to make this set:

This project is an example of assembly line card making. By doing the similar tasks together you will save time and end up finishing all the cards at once (that’s right, you won’t get 2 cards done and get bored with the project.) It is also great if you have a limited amount of time to craft, if you have 10 minutes you can cut all of your papers and stamp your images. Next time you can color etc.

Directions:

1. Cut two 8.5″x11″ sheets of cardstock in half (5.5″x8.5″) and fold each of these papers in half to make 4 cards.

2. Choose two or three designs of patterned paper (scraps are great for this!) and cut into strips, labels, circles or rectangles.

3. Stamp images on white cardstock and color with colored pencils or markers. Stamp a border on 4 white envelopes.

How easy is that? It is a useful, thoughtful, handmade gift and aren’t those the best kind? I also wanted to mention that the polypropylene bags I used are FDA food safe so they can also be used to make treat bags for parties or other food packaging. It’s good to have lots of uses for them because you get 1000 in a box! That said, I’m on my 2nd box LOL! Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me and til next time happy crafting!

Howdy friends and happy Veterans Day! Today I have an exciting giveaway for you from the fine folks at Green Sneakers. Whenever I host a giveaway I always hope the person who wins really likes their prize, well I won’t have to worry this time because you get to pick your prize! How cool is that? Go to Green Sneakers and find 2 templates you would most like to win, then come back here and leave a comment mentioning your picks. If I draw your name next Monday you get the templates you chose. Neat huh? Perhaps you would like to win the A2 Kreate-a-lope and Portfolio templates I used in my tutorial today:

…or maybe you want something completely different. It is up to you! And to sweeten the deal they are offering a 20% discount to any of my readers who want to place an order! Use the code Lin20as many times as you want between now and November 21st. Please note: You must log in and use the coupon code to see the 20% savings.You can tell your friends too and make sure they come by for their chance to win or use the coupon to get a head start on Christmas shopping! Check out their kits and specials for additional savings. Alright, now for a video tutorial so you can see these wonderful templates in action:

I think these DIY card kits would make a fabulous gift or craft fair items. It is also a chance to use some of those embossing folders we crafters tend to collect…or is that just me? I think I will make some in wild bright primary colors (hubby’s idea) for children’s cards and some with more sentiments. I am considering taking special orders for these and bringing them to my next craft fair, I think they are a super gift (but I don’t want to sell out of my stash because I plan on giving some too!)

You could also use the portfolio to make a painting studio on the go, put a small palette of paints and a waterbrush on one side and cut watercolor paper on the other, instant art studio!

Use this idea with the supplies you have in the colors you like. I’m sure you can make a perfect stationary set for anyone.

So, to recap: Visit Green Sneakers and check out the goods, leave a comment on my blog letting us know what TWO templates you want if your name is drawn. That’s it. Easy Peasy. If you feel the urge to shop use the coupon Lin20 to save 20% on your order. This contest is open to U.S. residents only, sorry for any inconvenience:) Good luck! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Howdy folks, I hope you had a nice weekend! My husband was on an organizing tear yesterday, he cleared surfaces, assembled shelves, moved stuff around in the basement {not touching my craft-cave of course!} and really made some progress in the house! I decided I am not going to be the “slacker housewife” today and finish up some of the projects that he started. I had the kids put their post-Christmas nightmare of a bedroom(s) in order and my son did such a good job that I offered to sew him some new curtains for his closet (I went on a kick many years ago and removed all of the luan sliding closet doors from the bedrooms-that’s why all of the surfaces in my craft room are made from doors!) He had Thomas the Train curtains that I made him when he was 3…he’s 10 now…ah, definitely time for a change, we went with desert camo, DS and I picked out fabric and I sewed him the curtains and a bolster pillow (perhaps the only camouflage bolster pillow in the world) last night…well, maybe I’m not a slacker housewife after all LOL! 😀 OK you are not here to learn about my prowess as a homemaker, you wanna see some crafty goodness…well, here is a gift set I made for a friend for Christmas:

This is an “activity” gift, you see my friend claims that she is not crafty BUT she likes to send handmade cards so I made her a kit so she can make 3 thank you cards and 3 birthday ones.

First take a card base and glue on an embossed panel…

Then add a sentiment…

And a few fancy bits (AKA embellishments) and write your message on the inside of the card and place it in the matching envie!

Look, it all fits in the altered box that I created for, and had published in, Just Steampunk 2 magazine:

Easy peasy! I know some of you will want to know what I used so here is a list:

Sentiment stamps: Stampin Up

Steampunk Stamps: Inkadinkado (Clear set)

Embossing folders: Sizzix (there might be a Cuttlebug one in there too but I no longer buy products from ProvoCraft-they are on my list!)